Foreign Investment in U.S. and North Dakota Agricultural Land

The authors discussed the apprehension North Dakota farmers had selling their lands to foreign investors. The underlying idea to this concern was that the US would somehow lose control of its’ basic source of food and, thereby, lose control of its’ economic destiny and freedom. In 1989, foreign investors owned less than 1%t of available private lands in North Dakota. It was concluded that land ownership was less lucrative and less advantageous than other methods of producing revenue in North Dakota and in the US.